The Optical Society (OSA) is honoring three local Rochester scientists at its Frontiers in Optics (FiO) Annual Meeting next week in Rochester, N.Y. OptiPro Systems President Michael Bechtold, Wilson Professor of Optical Physics at the University of Rochester Emil Wolf and University of Rochester student Katie Hasman will receive awards for their contributions to the field of optics, the science of light.

Michael Bechtold, co-founder and president, OptiPro Systems, will receive the Paul F. Forman Engineering Excellence Award in recognition of his work revolutionizing the process of optical fabrication by producing the first affordable CNC (computer numeric controlled) machine designed for the optical industry. Bechtold co-founded OptiPro Systems in 1981, which evolved into a company designing and building CNC machine tools for the metalworking and manufacturing sector. The Engineering Excellence Award is given annually by OSA and recognizes technical achievements in optical engineering by individual(s) or teams.

Emil Wolf, Wilson Professor of Optical Physics at the University of Rochester, will be presented the 2008 Joseph W. Goodman Book Writing Award. The biennial award, cosponsored by OSA and SPIE, recognizes Wolf’s book, Introduction to the Theory of Coherence and Polarization of Light. Published in October 2007 by Cambridge University Press, Wolf’s book is the first to provide a unified treatment of the phenomena of coherence and polarization.

Katie Hasman, a master’s student at the University of Rochester, was named the winner of the first annual Harvey M. Pollicove Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship, which honors optics manufacturing pioneer Harvey Pollicove, is given to an outstanding student pursuing a degree in the field of precision optics manufacturing and is sponsored by the OSA Foundation and the H.M. Pollicove Memorial Fund.

About OSA
Uniting more than 70,000 professionals from 134 countries, the Optical Society (OSA) brings together the global optics community through its programs and initiatives. Since 1916 OSA has worked to advance the common interests of the field, providing educational resources to the scientists, engineers and business leaders who work in the field by promoting the science of light and the advanced technologies made possible by optics and photonics. OSA publications, events, technical groups and programs foster optics knowledge and scientific collaboration among all those with an interest in optics and photonics. For more information, visit www.osa.org.